Texas A&M Aggies Get Dark Horse Title for the 2026 College Football Playoff From The Athletic

Texas A&M Aggies Get Dark Horse Title for the 2026 College Football Playoff From The Athletic originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Texas A&M football was in the running for the SEC Championship Game late in the 2024-25 season, but the defensive issues and lack of consistency with quarterback Marcel Reed ultimately kept the Aggies’ season locked away in the regular season.

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Now with head coach Mike Elko entering year two at College Station, there’s a lot of promise for Texas A&M to solidify itself as a serious College Football Playoff contender.

Texas A&M football running back Rueben Owens.Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Athleticnamed the Aggies a dark horse candidate for the 2025-26 season.

Elko’s first season wasn’t a complete bust, finishing with a winning record (8-5, 5-3 SEC). Resting in the middle of the SEC isn’t a terrible spot to advance from, especially given the offseason adjustments made on defense and in terms of confidence under center.

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Reed had a 61.3 completion percentage in his redshirt freshman campaign, throwing 147 passes for 1,864 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also had 116 carries for 547 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.

During the offseason, the starting quarterback grew confidence and set high goals for himself — Heisman level goals. With wide receiver upgrades in KC Concepcion and Mario Craver, the Aggie quarterback should have stronger options on offense in 2025-26.

Defense was the major fix Texas A&M needed, though. Elko brought in cornerback transfers Julian Humphrey and Jordan Shaw, and linemen transfers Tyler Onyedim, Dayon Hayes, and T.J. Searcy who all should man the fort at the line and on the perimeter.

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Another winning season is undoubtedly in the cards for the Aggies, but Morales went farther as to having them in CFP contention if those offseason changes make the fixes they need.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 25, 2025, where it first appeared.

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